SOUTHERN COUNTIES HEAVY HORSE ASSOCIATION

Heavy horse breedsand their survival

Please help us to secure their future

All proceeds from this leaflet will enable usto continue promoting Heavy Horses. £1

www.schha.co.uk

ARDENNES:

The Ardennes is a heavy draught breed withgreat muscular development. Good posture andconformation with plenty of quality bone.. Allcolours are permitted, except piebald/skewbald.No white markings are permitted on the head ofstallions although a little white below the fetlockis allowed for Mares. They have an intelligentexpression and docile nature. They are still usedin commercial forestry and farming whilst alsoregularly used for competitive private driving. A number are being used by the Riding for the Disabled Associations as well as general,sturdy riding horses in the UK. They are surprisingly fast, nimble, strong and goodtempered.For more information about the Ardennes please visit www.theworkinghorsetrust.org

CLYDESDALE:

The Clydesdale is the native horse of theClydesdale area (Lanarkshire). At first glance,the Clydesdale bears a marked resemblanceto the Shire, with its long silky hair or ‘feather’on its legs. The colours most common are bayand brown with white markings, but blacks,greys, roans and chestnuts are occasionallyseen. The white markings are characteristicand it is the exception to see a bay orbrown Clydesdale without a white face andconsiderable white on the feet and legs. Although there are only approximately 700registered brood mares in the United Kingdom and about 100 registered stallions,more and more people are using Clydesdales not just for showing and driving, but forfarm work, horse logging and even riding. The Clydesdale is currently listed as‘Vulnerable’ on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Watchlist 2008. For more informationabout the Clydesdale please visit www.clydesdalehorsesociety.com

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is working closely with breed societies toencourage more heavy horses.

Their current Heavy Horse watchlist is as follows:

CRITICAL ENDANGERED VULNERABLE AT RISK Suffolk Clydesdale Shire

http://www.rbst.org.uk/watchlist/equines/clydesdale.php

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust

COMTOIS:

The Comtois is a very old breed from Franche-Comté and the Jura Mountains on the borderof France and Switzerland. In the sixteenthcentury, the Comtois became famous as acavalry and artillery horse. Louis XIV’s usedthis breed in his armies, as did Napoleon onhis campaign into Russia. In the 1800’s TheComtois was bred with other draft breeds likethe Norman, Boulonnais and Percheron. TheComtois has good qualities of endurance,hardiness and balance, they are also good-natured, easy to train and hard working.The breed is still widely used for hauling timber in the high pine forests of the Jura andfor work on the hilly vineyards of the Arbois area. They are a lightly built draft horsewith short, strong legs, little feather and muscular hindquarters. They are found invarying shades of chestnut with a light flaxen mane and tail and they stand between14.2 and 16 hands. For more information about the Comtois please contactjanewordsworth@btinternet.com

PERCHERON:

The Percheron is one of the oldest breeds inFrance. It gets its name from the smallprovince of La Perche in north-west Francewhere they were always bred. It was bred intoa massive horse to bear the weight of a fullyarmoured Knight. The Percheron HorseSociety founded in 1882 and the French StudBook appeared the following year. The purePercheron was considered highly suitable formilitary purposes. It was very powerful,short-legged, minus leg hair and capable of a good trot. It combines great strengthwith docility and is a long-lived horse with a high resistance to disease. ThePercheron’s feet is a valued characteristic. The British Percheron is a good height(stallions have to be a minimum of 16’3 hands), with great muscular development. Theonly colours accepted are grey or black, the former found more often, frequently withthe typical dapple. For more information about The Percheron please visitwww.percheron.org.uk

To find out more about our rare breeds please visit The Rare Breeds SurvivalTrust’s website www.rbst.org.uk or call them on 024 7669 6551.

Southern Counties Heavy Horse Association would like to thank theRBST Dorset branch for generously awarding a bursary to aid with

the production of this leaflet.

Please help us to secure the future of the Heavy Horse.

SHIRE:

Most familiar of the heavy horses. It is adescendant of the Old English Warhorse, orGreat Horse. It became apparent that somerationalisation of the breeding activities wasrequired to improve and maintain the bestqualities in the Shire horse and in 1878 theEnglish Cart Horse Society was founded, laterbecoming the Shire Horse Society. Its aimswere to establish uniformity of type, characterand appearance and to keep authenticrecords. The first volume of the Shire Horse Stud Book contained the records of 2,381stallions, going back to 1770. Enormously strong, intelligent and courageous, it is apatient and docile animal. It often exceeds 17 hands in height and can weigh over aton. It can be bay, brown, black or grey, with white on the lower legs and the characteristic long, silky hair or ‘feather’ over the fetlocks. In the modern Shire, thefeather is less abundant than it used to be. There are approximately 3000 Shires in theUK today and are currently listed as ‘At Risk’ on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Watchlist2008. For more information about the Shire please visit www.shire-horse.org.uk

SUFFOLK:

The Suffolk Punch goes back to the early 16century. It was always a native of the countyfrom which it takes its name. Every registeredSuffolk can trace its descent in the direct maleline from one stallion foaled in 1768 in theSuffolk village of Ufford, a horse known simplyas Crisp’s Horse. The modern Suffolk hasemerged taller but still relatively short-legged,barrel-girthed and low-shouldered horse. The Suffolk is only one colour: ‘chesnut’(traditionally spelt), although seven shades are recognised, from pale sorrel to darkcopper. A little white on the forehead is just acceptable. It is clean-legged (no‘feather’) which makes it particularly suitable for the heavy soils of its home counties.Despite its bulk and short legs, it can trot a fast pace and is also valued as a long-livedhorse. There are approximately 300 Suffolks in the UK today and are currently listedas ‘Critical’ on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Watchlist 2008. For more informationabout the Suffolk please visit www.suffolkhorsesociety.org.uk

SOUTHERN COUNTIES HEAVY HORSE ASSOCIATION

www.schha.co.uk